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AI-driven hiring and the science of compatibility

This season on Build Mode, we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class team and that starts with hiring the right people the first time. This week, we’re joined by Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mapa, a behavioral intelligence platform that uses voice AI to decode human behavior in under 60…

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This season on Build Mode, we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class team and that starts with hiring the right people the first time.

This week, we’re joined by Sarah Lucena, founder and CEO of Mapa, a behavioral intelligence platform that uses voice AI to decode human behavior in under 60 seconds. After rebuilding teams over and over again early in her career, Sarah set out to answer the question: why do “great on paper” candidates fail to flourish after their hired?

In this episode, she explains how Mapa analyzes thousands of voice biomarkers, from speech patterns to linguistic signals, to build behavioral profiles and match candidates based on compatibility, not just the on-paper credentials. They help their clients make the right hired the first time, saving crucial time and money.

She breaks down:

• Why most hiring decisions are still a gamble
• Compatibility vs. similarity (and why it matters)
• How voice biomarkers reveal behavioral traits
• How to reduce bias without lowering the bar
• How founders should think about building aligned teams

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or scaling a fast-growing startup, this episode will change the way you think about talent, team dynamics, and what it really means to be a “fit.”

Chapters:

00:00 – Why great hires still fail
00:47 – Meet Sarah Lucena (Founder & CEO, Mapa)
01:39 – What Mapa does: voice → behavioral intelligence
04:22 – Why voice (not video) is the best signal
06:03 – The proprietary dataset & real-life outcomes
12:30 – Mapping companies, not just candidates
14:27 – Compatibility vs. similarity
16:10 – Bias, diversity & better hiring signals
23:53 – Expanding beyond hiring (VCs, finance, insurance)
30:16 – Using Mapa to evaluate investors
33:02 – Building Mapa’s own team
35:49 – Founder advice: patience, compatibility & lawyers
39:16 – Startup Battlefield experience
41:29 – Outro

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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2 Comments

  1. @عليموحان-س5ع

    March 3, 2026 at 1:46 pm

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  2. @TheNarrowPathGarage

    March 3, 2026 at 9:27 pm

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CNET

Unboxing the $120 Clicks Power Keyboard

Let your thumbs fly! 👍🏽 The Clicks Power Keyboard works on iPhone and Android phones with Qi wireless charging, like the iPhone Air or iPhone Pro Max as well as the Pixel 10 Pro. Not only is it a nifty Bluetooth keyboard, it can also charge your phone with its 2300mAh battery. Let’s unbox it…

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Let your thumbs fly! 👍🏽

The Clicks Power Keyboard works on iPhone and Android phones with Qi wireless charging, like the iPhone Air or iPhone Pro Max as well as the Pixel 10 Pro. Not only is it a nifty Bluetooth keyboard, it can also charge your phone with its 2300mAh battery. Let’s unbox it with CNET Director of Content Patrick Holland.

📽️: Faith Chihil #allthingsmobile #unboxing #clickskeyboard #clicks #keyboard #clickspowerkeyboard

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Science & Technology

Lightspeed is building its edge on followers, not just funds | Equity Podcast

Venture firms are turning to creators to build trust with the next generation of founders before a check is ever written. It’s a trend that’s been building with a16z’s acquisition of Erik Torenberg’s Turpentine podcast and OpenAI’s acquisition of TBPN. Lightspeed Venture Partners just made its own notable hire in that vein, bringing on Claire…

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Venture firms are turning to creators to build trust with the next generation of founders before a check is ever written. It’s a trend that’s been building with a16z’s acquisition of Erik Torenberg’s Turpentine podcast and OpenAI’s acquisition of TBPN. Lightspeed Venture Partners just made its own notable hire in that vein, bringing on Claire Zau, a seed investor with a major following on Instagram and TikTok, to source deals and co-host the firm’s new show, Lightwork, alongside CMO Josh Machiz.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Dominic-Madori Davis is joined by Zau and Machiz to dive deep into whether the “creator-investor” is becoming a real function in venture or just something firms are still trying to figure out.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

1:03 Getting hired…via Instagram DM

3:36 Creating for the tech-curious, not just tech Twitter

8:12 What Instagram taught Claire about Gen Z and AI

10:44 Does audience feedback shape investment decisions?

11:19 Do founders now expect investors to be creators?

13:13 Inside the editing grind: hours per video

15:42 Who’s actually doing creator VC well right now

18:52 The risk of being taken less seriously

21:41 Measuring ROI: brand awareness and founder conversion

27:41 What’s next for Lightspeed’s media empire

29:22 Outro

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CNET

Google Demos Google Glass in 2012 by Jumping Out of a Plane | CNET Archives

At Google I/O in June, 2012, co-founder Sergey Brin showcased Project Glass by streaming live Hangout footage of skydivers jumping from a plane while wearing the smart spectacles. Read more about it on CNET.com Everything We Know About Google’s Upcoming Smart Glasses Ahead of I/O 0:00 Sergey Brin interrupts the presentation for a special demo…

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At Google I/O in June, 2012, co-founder Sergey Brin showcased Project Glass by streaming live Hangout footage of skydivers jumping from a plane while wearing the smart spectacles.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Everything We Know About Google’s Upcoming Smart Glasses Ahead of I/O

0:00 Sergey Brin interrupts the presentation for a special demo
0:46 Sergey connects with skydivers via a Google Glass Hangout
1:58 The view from a mile above the Moscone Center
2:49 The airplane doors open
3:15 Skydivers exit the plane and fly over San Francisco
4:02 Parachutes deploy
5:07 Skydivers land on the roof of the Moscone Center
6:01 Bikers receive the Google Glass unit on the roof
6:21 Rappelling down the side of the building
7:05 The final bike ride through the conference hall
7:37 The Google Glass unit successfully arrives on stage

Video Credits
Video Editor – Vatsal Upadhyay
Thumbnail Designer – Tharon Green

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#google #smartglasses #skydiving #googleglass #googleio #sergeybrin

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